For Sreesanth, a trip to Tirupathi before the Caribbean adventure

Not quite the David Beckham style, but Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was busy posing for cameramen with a new look...

Not quite the David Beckham style, but Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was busy posing for cameramen with a new look, a shaved head — post his return from Tirupathi, before departing with the Indian team to the West Indies.

He accompanied his parents to the Tirupathi temple in Andhra Pradesh before flying off to Mumbai. His father Shanthakumaran Nair, a retired LIC officer and mother Savitri Devi, both staunch devotees of Tirupathi, had pledged that they would bring their son along if he succeeded in establishing his place in the national team.

From Kothamangalam, a small town in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, his parents booked much in advance for the special pujas to be offered at Tirumala. No sooner had Kiran More announced the Indian team, the trip happened.

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For Sreesanth, this tour will be the biggest, until he gets lucky enough to be in the World Cup squad. ‘‘This tour is exciting because Tinu (Youhanan) and I grew up admiring the reputation Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding achieved as fearsome fast bowlers. For us, it was ‘the thing’ to do,’’ he said.

‘‘I might not instil the same kind of fear in batsmen,’’ he says in jest, ‘‘but I might as well use the opportunity bring out the best in me.’’

His reasoning is simple. ‘‘For a fast bowler an opportunity to tour the West Indies could be the most satisfying,’’ he says, ‘‘simply because of what we have heard about them as youngsters in the game.’’

–k.shriniwas.rao@expressindia.com

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